Squeezed renters

Rising rents are making it more difficult for Ohioans to afford an
apartment, a new study concludes.

Ohioans must earn $13.79 an hour to afford a typical two-bedroom
apartment, which rents for $717 a month plus utilities, according to an annual survey released by
the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in
Ohio.

But, the study finds, the average Ohio renter actually earns $11.61 an
hour.

The study assumes that tenants should spend no more than 30 percent of
their income on housing.

Last year, the survey found that Ohioans had to earn $13.43 an hour to
afford rent of $698 a month.

"The gap between what the minimum-wage renter in Ohio is paid in wages
and what they’re expected to pay in rent is widening significantly," said COHHIO’s Executive
Director Bill Faith.

"The homeownership crisis drove rental prices up and out of reach for
many of our most vulnerable populations. Those who have always relied on rental housing are getting
squeezed out of this post-recession housing market."